Are city security cameras being mistaken for Flock cameras? Deputies say yes
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SUGAR CITY – What the Flock?
After multiple vandalism incidents, including one that damaged a city security camera, deputies are asking people not to believe everything they see online.
According to a Facebook post from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, deputies are asking the public to help them identify two people who reportedly destroyed a Sugar City Public Works security camera.
Why did they do this, you ask?
Deputies think the suspects mistook it for a Flock camera, one of many license plate readers mounted on traffic poles across the country, including in eastern Idaho.
“Plot twist: It wasn’t. It was just a regular security camera doing its job,” says the post.
The Sheriff’s Office states that they believe a website incorrectly identified the security camera’s location as a flock camera, even though it wasn’t.
DeFlock.org is a website created by an organization that aims to get rid of these cameras, which are widely used by the public to locate the Flock cameras.
Madison County Sheriff confirmed to EastIdahoNews.com that the city camera was destroyed.
According to the sheriff’s office’s post, other security cameras in the area captured the suspects. Their vehicle is believed to be a blue sedan.
If you recognize either of these individuals or have any information about the vehicle, please contact the Madison County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 372-5001.
Not just one…
According to Lt. Akilah Lacey with the Pocatello Police Department, two Flock cameras in Pocatello were also destroyed in early July.
Both of the cameras are located along Bullock Street, next to Lowe’s Home Improvement, and they’re still knocked down as of July 30.
Regarding this incident, Allyn James Carter was charged with one count of malicious injury to property and another count of failing to notify after striking fixtures on July 8.
If found guilty, a charge of malicious injury to property carries a sentence of one to five years in prison and/or a $1,000 fine, and failure to notify carries six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
According to the arrest report, Chubbuck police responded to the area on July 7 after a report that a Dodge Ram truck had run over two Flock cameras. Officers say they found Carter and his truck in the Costa Vida parking lot, around 190 yards away from where the last Flock camera was knocked over.
Lacey says there have been 14 other instances of cameras being vandalized or damaged since their installation.
This ranges from simply being moved out of place to damage to the wiring, with some cameras requiring full replacement.
What does eastern Idaho think?
After EastIdahoNews.com posted an earlier story on Flock cameras and perspectives from police and locals, the comments differed on whether the cameras are trusted.
One commenter was seemingly taken aback by those who feel negatively towards the cameras, asking why someone would be afraid of police knowing where their cars are.
“I am appalled by the number of Idaho Falls residents who are afraid of the police knowing where their cars are and what they are doing! It certainly makes me wonder what nefarious acts our citizens are involved in!” says the comment.
“I thought it was 2026, not 1984. Orwell was right,” said one comment.
Other comments seemed distrustful of the cameras, insinuating that they could be used for purposes other than tracking the license plates of suspected criminals.
“Solving crime quickly is the excuse, but we all know they are all about surveillance, and spying on everyone in 100 different ways,” says one comment. “Our rights and privacy are being flushed down the toilet, but they always have some wonderful excuse to justify everything.”
Lots of memes were also posted to our comment section, parodying the Flock cameras and people who support their installations.
In October, the Idaho Falls Police Department will deliver a presentation to the City Council on other options for license plate readers, looking at their technologies and budgets.
Another notable future change the department will make is updating its contract with Flock regarding its use of artificial intelligence.
“Our new contract will prohibit Flock from using our data to do any machine learning or train their AI,” Johnson said. “Idaho Falls is a very small player in this big country, and they don’t need our data, and that was a very easy change to make to the contract.”
This change in the contract went before the City Council on July 30.